Posting to the Tesla Forums is now limited to verified Owners. To request verification, contact forums@tesla.com from the email associated to your Tesla account.

Forums

Footwell Lights - Model 3 Standard Plus

Footwell Lights - Model 3 Standard Plus

Submitted by ccjohnston on Mon, 2019-04-01 20:35

The footwell lights on the driver and passenger side of my Model 3 Standard Plus don't work. Took in for service and they said it was a software configuration for the Standard Plus. All other interior lights including the under-door puddle lights work fine. Is anyone else having this problem?

TE51A |
2 April, 2019

These lights are normally very dim, you may see it only at total night.
I did have them not respond to my Ambient lights button until updated to 2019.8.4. Try updating then toggling them?

n7vdr1 |
2 April, 2019

Mine are not working either. I just thought it was part of the srp downgrade.

Miloni2020 |
5 April, 2019

Are there footwell lights on the SR+?

ToothlessNF |
6 April, 2019

My service center said the same thing, that's the way the SR+ is configured, the bulbs are there, but they are not enabled.

Lonestar10_1999 |
6 April, 2019

I look at it this way; the power drain from the footwell lights can not affect the SR+. That’s an advantage in my book.

Nineyye |
14 April, 2019

So, let me see if I get this. In a SR+ it is expected that footwell lights cannot and would not be on?

lbowroom |
14 April, 2019

That appears to be the position of the service center.

JarvisM3 |
14 April, 2019

I have a SR + delivered last Wednesday running 8.5 and have them working.

model3cars |
15 April, 2019

Jarvis - can you share more info how the footwell lights are working in SR+ with software 8.5? Thanks

jerryrs |
15 April, 2019

I do not have any footwell lights in the front seats on my SR+ also. It was my understanding they were only available for the Premium model.

Nineyye |
16 April, 2019

I couldn't find anywhere on Tesla.com stating footwell lights are part of any package (i.e. premium, partial premium, etc).

@JarvisM3, I am interested in learning if you have something configured differently on your SR+.

n7vdr1 |
16 April, 2019

Mine physically have the lights because when I first open the door they come on for a split second then turn off.

Electric_Sheeple |
16 April, 2019

My foot-well lights are not active either.

[2019 TM3 SR+ | San Antonio, TX]

Phantom_Menace |
16 April, 2019

2019 SR+ on 2019.8.4, no foot-well lights.

JarvisM3 |
16 April, 2019

I’m not sure whats different on mine. I’ll get a picture tonight.

TeslaTap.com |
16 April, 2019

For the DIYer, seems like you could wire the footwell lights to the underdoor lights. Yes, seems like a clunky way to do it. I found the Tesla footwell lights to be quite dim. You can buy aftermarket replacements and/or rework them fairly easily. https://teslatap.com/modifications/footlight-led-enhancement/

Shows how the different options look, and how to make the changes. Doesn't show how to rewire dead lights. At the end of the article you can see how the different versions look on black carpets too.

Nineyye |
16 April, 2019

I submitted a tech support case with Tesla and they didn't say anything about SR+ footwell lights is not an option. They sent me this "Please check the lighting settings > Main Menu > Lights > Ambient Lighting - to see if the feature is turned on."

Unfortunately, I am away this week and cannot check the function on my vehicle. Perhaps someone on this forum can verify on their M3?

lbowroom |
16 April, 2019

Sounds important, have you considered flying home early to resolve this mystery?

Phantom_Menace |
16 April, 2019

SR+ does not have ambient lighting. I think that’s a Premium interior feature.

JarvisM3 |
16 April, 2019

I confirmed mine doesn’t anymore. Not gonna complain but when I bought the car they were active. Then they are deactivated? How is that even legal go sell you something that works when you buy it then not work after an update? Oh well.

gordon_r_benson |
16 April, 2019

I just tested my SR+ and found that the foot well lights do come on very briefly (less than a second) only when the car is asleep and you activate the door handle. The lights immediately go off and then stay off. Looks very much like they were software disabled.
Others who posted are correct, there is no ambient lighting control, only Dome Lighting On/Off/Auto and Steering wheel lighting on/off.

ebmcs03 |
16 April, 2019

Wow. So much software deactivation games with Tesla.

I think eventually when they don’t care anymore Tesla will just activate everything for everyone.

RWD ☰ |
30 April, 2019

SW denied again and again with my M3 SR+. What a waste to have everything physically in place just to be disabled by SW. I can understand SW disabling a feature like AP since that took development and $ to create. Ambient lighting holds no patents and cost them $0 in R&D, really should just be standard on a $40K car. Tesla is really screwing the pooch with all the flip flopping features.

derotam |
30 April, 2019

I would hate to not be able to see my feet while driving, I just love to watch my toes wiggle around while I am driving.

sorry, :P

Actually I am not sorry.

lordmiller |
30 April, 2019

You bought the partial premium interior. You don't get a bunch of stuff, when you spend more money you'll get the features.

Legendisdope |
30 April, 2019

I would pay a bit extra to get these enabled, sucks to vacuum the carpet and miss some spots cause you can't see well.. It was ridiculous to vacuum with my phone flashlight on lol

ccjohnston |
30 April, 2019

This is the only negative experience with my Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus. After paying about $40k for a car, you’d expect the foot well lights to work. It’s a basic expectation for any car, including inexpensive ones. Other than this, I love the car (but this still bothers me).

As others reported, my foot well lights sometimes come on for a split second so the lights and wiring are there.

I took my M3 to the service center and they didn’t know if the problem was due to the SR+ configuration. Seemed that they didn’t have adequate documentation. They said that they check different Model 3s and got mixed results (i.e. foot well lights worked on some, but not others). They said that maybe they will start working after a software update. Kind of scary…

Why doesn’t Tesla offer these features for sale ala carte?

rhj |
30 April, 2019

Don't tell him about the heated seats

Miloni2020 |
17 May, 2019

I expect some footwell lights on a Sr plus. It doesn’t cost anything. They are wired and the lights are there. Spend more money i expect better speakers not footwell lights. Those should be standard. They worked and now they don’t and TESLA reps are clueless.

cosmicwarrior |
21 May, 2019

I have the Standard Range Plus and they worked when I got the car about a month ago and then they mysteriously disappeared. I figured it was a bug in my software as I updated soon after I got there car a couple of times and that's when I noticed the lights were no longer functioning. I'm currently on 2019.8.6 7c47b13 and it looks like I'm about 10 updates behind. I'm hoping my next software update will address this because it sucks not having foot-well lights.

lbowroom |
21 May, 2019

They stopped functioning in the same update you lost your satellite maps, as planned.

cosmicwarrior |
22 May, 2019

Foot-well lights should not be a "premium" feature, that's just ridiculous if they seriously took that away in an update.

r.brendel |
3 September, 2019

As I understand is that in a SRP all the needed hardware is in place, but the foot well lighting is disabled by software. Strange because when ordering I didn't get even the option offered.
Do we need to start an online petition? I guess if many users sign it, Tesla will reconsider...

nazphone |
3 September, 2019

The foot well lights are physically in my SR+ except the are disabled. They once came one for a second when I opened my door and then never seen again. Heard the same thing, there are many things included on our cars that are disabled, like speakers.

TeslaTap.com |
3 September, 2019

@nazphone - There was some talk a while back about Tesla offering a paid upgrade option to enable some of the features that don't come with the SR and SR+. I haven't heard anything more, so perhaps Tesla will not offer it. They've got so much on their plate, some of the items hinted at like this may never come to fruition.

adichiru |
21 September, 2019

I just realized my footweel light are not working. I have an M3 SR+ in Canada delivered weeks ago; latest software version.... it is very disappointing....

I can't understand why is this happening.....

timsierramist |
21 September, 2019

I agree with the Ala Carte idea. I would pay to add features to my SR+ such as ambient lighting and premium connectivity, etc. Tesla is missing out on extra $$$ here.

timsierramist |
21 September, 2019

I agree with the Ala Carte idea. I would pay to add features to my SR+ such as ambient lighting and premium connectivity, etc. Tesla is missing out on extra $$$ here.

TeslaTap.com |
21 September, 2019

@timsierramist - it's more complex than that. Tesla has limited resources, like most companies. They are likely prioritizing return on investment. Do you work on a new truck that will generate billions or an upgrade that generates a small amount of money? The engineers are assigned to where the big money is. May not be fair, but that's life.

This is extremely disappointing. I just determine that my footwell lights are not coming on. I swapped the light module with footwell unit to see if it was defective but it worked on the door puddle location. There is nowhere on the specifications for a sr+ where it states footwell lights are optional. I dropped an item in foot well and could not see a thing. I made an appointment, I received a confirmation for the mobile service which is the only method of getting service on Vancouver Island. But, today I received a cancelled appointment notification with no explanation. It referred me to the mobile app to reschedule. But now mobile is not an option. I can only book service appointment to Vancouver service center. It will cost me $200 return to go to service center yet I was told there was a mobile service working in Victoria. Here we were r
already considering a deposit on model Y but Tesla service is terrible le. You can't speak to anyone, no phone numbers and when you use app to get appointment cancelled and now I have spend $200 to get to a service center? No thank you. I will be selling this car quickly and going back to a BMW where service looks after you and you can talk to a person. I love the car but I am not prepared to be ignored as a consumer and I am not willing to lower my expectations on service courtesy.

fadiawesome |
3 October, 2019

Hey guys sign this petition. I’m not trying to be cheap but when I bought my car I was under the impression that the footwell lights worked and the rear seat heaters were included. Ok the seat heaters were mentioned on the website, that was my bad, but the footwell lights weren’t. Sign this petition to get Elon musk to turn them back onhttp://chng.it/kMSWDQ5bTk

Dab3838 |
21 December, 2019

This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Kind of like having to buy an addon for HomeLink to open your garage door. Heck even Kia has that.

I understand withholding some features for premium models, but footwell lights? Really?

charles |
21 December, 2019

Agree, but that's the way it is. I used a couple of those tripod mounted 500W halogen work lights precariously balanced on the back seat so I could see to vacuum the front carpeting when I changed my floor mats from summer to winter. A bit hokey, but it worked. I didn't want to put them on the front seats in case I knocked them over with the vacuum hose and smashed the touchscreen display or something. :-) Still trying to get a dirt smear off the rear seat cushion. :(

RayNLA |
21 December, 2019

@jesusfadi3
In my opinion petitions are adversarial and divisive.
Elon recently mentioned that the rear seat heaters will have the option to be activated in non premium vehicles.
All it took was a polite tweet. ;)

manzoor019 |
24 December, 2019

So do we know if ambient lights are now disabled in sr+? This for a December M3 ..

stingray.don |
24 December, 2019

Dab3838 | December 21, 2019
This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Kind of like having to buy an addon for HomeLink to open your garage door. Heck even Kia has that.
__________________

If you want Homelink, then just buy it. I did. Previously, people were complaining about paying for the feature when they weren’t going to use. If you want the premium interior, then just buy it. Don’t buy a base model and expect all the features of the premium model, just like any other car.

jncolg |
1 January, 2020

2020 M3 SR+. I just picked it up 12/27/19 and no foot well lights. Talked to service and couldn’t understand why they were not working. He checked the configuration and said it looked fine. He is going to get back to me after some digging.

stingray.don |
1 January, 2020

jncolg,

Did you read the posts in this thread?

Lonestar10_1999 |
1 January, 2020

None of the SR+ were configured with working foot well lights. Early SR+ had working fog lights but I understand that fog lights are no longer operational on recent SR+.